Bridge



(No Model.)

2 She'etsSheet 1.

G. F. T. KANDELER.

BRIDGE.

Patented Jan. 18, 1887.

2 R E L E D N A K T R O (No Model.)

' BRIDGE.

Patented Jan. 18

gi Z22 Pho o Lithographun Washington In, a

NTTED STATES PATENT Tries.

BRIDGE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 356,283, dated January 18, 1887.

Application filed September 7, 1886. Serial No. 212,900. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, C. F. Tnnonon KAN- DELER, a subject of the Emperor of Germany. residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Bridges; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My improvement relates,particularly,to the class of bridges termed swing-bridges, in which the structure is supported on a central pier through the medium of a central pivot toward which it is aimed to centralize the load, and which is surrounded by a track, or an upper and a lower track, for the wheels which guide and assist the structure in the swinging operation and partake of the load,or in which,the central pivot being omitted, the load is borne entirely by the circle of wheels, supported on the pier and moving on a track or between tracks.

In both oftheforegoing forms of construction difficulty is commonly experienced(owing to the practical impossibility in the absence of efficient means to overcome it) in preventing unequal loading of the wheels,whereby members of the series are caused to support a proportion of the weight beyond their capacity, producing, as a consequence,their fracture and involving expense in the maintenance of the bridge and annoyance to those affected by the necessity for repairing, while other members are either wholly relieved from pressure or are caused to bear a proportion of the load smaller than their capacity.

It is my object to provide means whereby the load may readily be adjusted to bear equally or substantially so upon all the wheels in the circular series, and which may be applied for the purpose to bridges involving either of the foregoing forms of construction.

It is also my object to provide separate means for each of the said foregoing forms of construction which may be used for such adjusting purpose auxiliary to or independently of the first-named adjusting means.

To this end my invention consists in providing a yielding track for the wheels and means for adjusting the track to the elastic 50 line of the drum.

Though I am aware that an essentially elastic track has hitherto been invented for use in bridges, and is designed to accomplish a purpose substantially the same as that which I accomplish, the feature of the adjusting means combined with my track which render my invention a great improvement over what has preceded it, in the sense that it possesses greatly increased efficiency in its purpose, affords the particular novelty of my construction as including an elastic track, though the latter, as appears hereinafter, may be yielding without being elastic, in the sense that it will comply with or accommodate itself without reassuming its original condition to the elastic line of the drum which affords the intermediate connecting medium between the circle of wheels in the pier and the span.

My invention also consists in the general as well as in the particular construction of adj usting means, hereinafter described and claimed, for use independently of or in connection with and auxiliary to the yielding track device; and it further consists in certain details of construction and combinations of parts,all ashereinafter more fully set forth.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a transverse section of a swingbridge of old construction as to all its details, including means hitherto employed with a view to equalizing theload upon the circular train of wheels; Fig. 2, a plan View of the drum or circular girder of the bridge represented in Fig. 1,"

showing supported thereon the form and segmental arrangement of cross-girders employed for the purpose of distributing or equalizing the load upon the wheels; Fig. 3, a longitudinal section of a broken portion of a swingbridge, likewise of old construction as to its details,and alsoincluding means hitherto employed, but differing from those shown in the preceding figures for equalizing the load upon the circular train of wheels; Fig. 4, a plan view of the drum or circular girder of the bridge represented in Fig. 3, showing the central pivot and the form and arrangement of cross-girders employed for the purpose of directing the load toward the central pivot and distributing or equalizing it upon the wheels; Fig. 5, a sectional view of my improved adjustable yielding track device; Fig. 6, abroken sectional view taken on the line 6 6 of Fig. 4-,

and showing my improved adjusting means for use in connection with bridges of the constrnctiomas to the parts supporting the span, shown in Figs. 3 and 4, having the central girder across the drum built into the latter and with or independently of the adjustable yielding track; Fig. 7, a sectional view showing the detailed construction of the adjusting mechanism referred to in describing Fig. 6, the same being taken on the line 7 7 of Fig. 8; Fig. 8, a similar view of the same, taken on the line 8 8 of Fig. 7; Fig. 9, a broken plan view showing a modification of the adjusting mechanism referred to in describing the three last preceding figures, the same being for use in connection with bridges of the construction. as to the parts supporting the span, shown in Figs. 1 and 2; and Fig. 10 a broken side elevation of the same.

Notwithstanding the fact that I do not claim as new any of the features or combinatidns included in the constructions illustrated on the first sheet of the accompanying drawings, it is thought necessary to represent them in order that my improvements may the more clearly and readily be described and their application and operation readily understood.

A, Figs. 1 and 2, is the span supported at its .center upon a pier, B, through the medium of a circular series of whecls,G, rotating upon a track, D, or between tracks D and D, the latter, if provided, being below the drum E, upon which are imposed the circle of plategirders F, carrying, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, cross-girders G, each resting on the drum at two extreme points and at a central point, or, as shown in Figs. Sand 4, parallel crossgirders II, resting at opposite ends upon the drum device, and a central crossgirder, I, built into the cireular-plate-girder portion of the drum device, the last-named construction being commonly employed, particularly in connection with pivot-bridges, in which it is the purpose to direct the load toward the pivot K.

The purpose of the cross girders G, H, and I is to equalize the load by distributing it upon the points of support of the girders, the objection to these equalizing mechanisms be ing, however, as their practical application hasshown,that they fail to distribute and equalize, at least in a measure to render them satisfactorily effective in their purpose.

By the construction represented in Fig. 50f the drawings the equal distribution is satisfactorily accomplished, as by means of the same none of the members of the series of wheels 0 need ever be broken as the result of overtaxing its carrying capacity. This construction comprises an annular plate, L, supported below the drum base-plate by means of screw-bolts M, passing through the drum baseplate, L, having each nuts 1' and q, respectively on opposite sides of the plate L, and a look-nut device, 1), on the upper side of the base-plate, and between the drum and plate L is a ring, N, of yielding material directly over the upper track, 0, (secured,if provided, upon the under side of the plate L below the drum.)

The ring N may be yielding in the sense that it is also elastic, and when elastic it is formed of rubber or springs. \Vhen yielding without being elastic, it is formed of a. suitable yielding substance-such as soft metal, (as lead,)paper, wedges, or the likeand, though a ring is the form of the body I at present deem preferable for the purpose, the device N may comprise a yielding body of other form and be formed, if desired, in separate and separated sections. The yielding ring N being below the drum and connected with the samein the manner described,it forms the intermediate support for the load above the wheels, and the adjusting mechanism M r qp, by loosening and tightening the proper nuts upon the bolts M at the required points, permits the elastic line of the drum to be ascertained in testing the loading or hearing nature of the strncture,and to be maintained by readjustment of the yielding ring whenever necessitated by any of the various causes which alter with reference to each other the bearing points of the load. Thus, if the load shall bear with undue stress at a certain point, whereby it must bear too lightly at some other point or points, tightening the adjusting mechanism at the first-named point, which compresses the ring, and thus tends to throw a part of the load elsewhere, and loosening the adjusting mechanism at the last-named point or points to permit the distribution of the surplus at the said first-named point,will effect equalization of the load upon the wheels 0 by thus setting the elastic line of the drum.

If the ring N comprises elastic material, resetting of the elastic line for cause is a matter readily executed by proper manipulation of the adjusting mechanism M p q r, and is' accurate in its eitcct, owing to the tendency of the elastic material forming the ring to conform to the compression and releasing operations of the adjusting mechanism. If the ring comprises inelastic but yielding material ,resetting of the elastic line of the drum is not possible to, by any means, the same degree as when the ring is elastic, but may require the assistance of either of the adjusting mechanisms shown in Figs. 6 to 8 or 9 and 10, (hereinafter described,) depending upon which of the two cross-girder constructions, hereinbefore referred to, is employed.

The cross-girders H, Fig. 4:, which rest at the points 2: upon the drum device, cross in parallel direction the central cross-girder, I, the web it of which, Figs. 6, 7, and 8, isbuilt into the circle of plate-girders F, and held between the angle-irons m, provided with open ings Z, adjacent to a corresponding opening, Z, Fig. 7, in the web it of the cross-girder I, (the openings 1 Z being of course also provided at the opposite end of the girder I, and several at each end, as indicated in Fig. 6,) to receive a wedge, 0, having a threaded stem, 0, supported in a suitable bearing, P, and provided with a nut, O, turning of which in one direction forces the wedge 0 into the openings Z Z, with the effect of raising the girder I through the medium of its web n and lowering the drum against the wheel below the point of adjustment, thus increasing the load at that point, while turning of the nut in the opposite direction tends to withdraw the wedge it operates from the openings Z Z, with the opposite effect to that described upon the girder I and drum.

The cross-girders G, Fig. 2, which rest segmentally upon the drum-circle at the points y, are rendered adjustable, to equalize the load, by means of a modified form of the wedge device shown in Figs. 6, 7, and 8, as illustrated in Figs. 9 and 10. Here the cross-girders G are connected with the drum-circle by means of bolts h, passed through longitudinally-slotted opposing wedges O O placed, preferably, in pairs, as shown, one upon the other, between the drum and girder, and supported upon a block, 9, in contact with the drum, and through which the bolts It also pass, the block 9, having a flange, g, forming the bearing for threaded stems 7c of the wedges O", actuated by nuts 76' upon them at opposite sides of the flange g to move the wedge O back and forth to ease the load or increase it at particular points by causing the extreme bearing-points y of the girders to assume less of the same or more.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In aswing-bridge, the combination, with the wheels 0, of an adjustable yielding track,

substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a swing-bridge, the combination, with the wheels 0 and drum, of a plate, L, a yield ing body, N, between the plate and drum, and

means, substantially as described, for connecting the plate and drum and adjusting the yielding body, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a swing-bridge, the combination, with the wheels 0 and drum, of a plate, L, screwbolts M, connecting the plate L to the drum, a yielding body, N, between the plate L and drum, and nuts p q 1 upon the screw-bolts, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In a swing-bridge, the combination, with the drum supported upon the wheels 0, and cross-girders at the upper side of the drum, of adjustable wedges, substantially as described, for equalizing the load upon the wheels through the medium of the drum, substantially as set forth.

5. In a swing-bridge, the combination, with the drum supported upon the wheels 0, and a crossgirder, I, built at its opposite ends into the drum, of wedges O in openings 1 and Z in the drum, and cross-girder I, having threaded stems O, suitably supported and provided with nuts 0 substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

6. In a swing-bridge, the combination, with the wheels 0 and drum, having cross-girders at its upper side, of an adjustable yielding body, N, and adjustable wedges, substantially as described, for equalizing the load upon the wheels through the medium-of the drum, substantially as set forth.

7. In a swing-bridge, the combination, with the wheels 0 and drum, having a cross-girder, I, built at its opposite ends into the drum, of a yielding body, N, and wedges O in openings Z and Z in the drum, and cross-girder I, having threaded stems O, suitably supported and provided with nuts 0", substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

0. F. THEODOR KANDELER.

In presence of- J. W. DYRnNFoRTH, HENRY HUDSON. 

